Michigan Football’s Running Backs 2024, led by Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings

As the calendar flips to July, excitement builds for the 2024 college football season. There are just over three weeks until Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis and just over a month until fall camps begin across the country.

After arguably the best season in program history, Michigan brings another full squad into 2024 with “Team 145.” In preparation for next year, it’s a good time to break down each of the Wolverines’ position groups with “One thing I like”, “One thing I don’t do” And “One thing to keep an eye on”After checking the Quarterbacks Now let’s move on to the other members of the backfield — Running backs

Michigan’s offensive identity is centered around running the football, even when their opponents want to do just that. The Wolverines have been blessed with excellent running backs for much of the season. Jim Harbaugh era, and they will have another good head coach in 2024 Sherron Moore takes over.

It starts with Senior Donovan Edwardswho returns to Ann Arbor after a disappointing (by his standards) season a year ago. The West Bloomfield native had expected to be selected in the 2024 NFL Draft before the start of the 2023 season, but those plans fell apart as Edwards struggled to build on his stellar sophomore season. Despite this, we got to see the powers of EA Sports College Football 25’s cover athlete again in the national championship win over Washington, where Edwards rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns on just six carries.

This season, Edwards will be the standout running back in Michigan’s offense, and he has all the physical tools to make his farewell season in Ann Arbor unforgettable. I can’t wait to see how the braintrust of Moore, offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell and new running backs coach Tony Alford will continue to utilize Edwards in the passing game in 2024.

Oh yeah… Michigan also returns the now-experienced Kalel Mullings as the No. 2 tailback after the fifth-year senior averaged 6.2 yards per carry last season. Mullings and Edwards form a true “thunder and lightning” combination in the Wolverines’ backfield, and there’s little reason to doubt that this duo will cause headaches for opposing defenses.

When you lose a player like Blake Corum, arguably the best running back in program history, it leaves a huge void. While I love the duo of Edwards and Mullings, Corum’s vision and ability to leave guys running in a phone booth was what set him apart last season. If there’s one thing I can question about Edwards, it’s his vision as a ball carrier. There was more than one factor why Edwards’ production and effectiveness dropped last season, but I think that was a major reason.

How much can Edwards improve in this area and has he already improved? That’s less important for a player like Mullings, who will be more of a battering ram for the Wolverines in short yardage this season. I think Michigan can make up for what they lose with Corum’s departure between the tackles by getting the ball to Edwards more often in the passing game.

Who will be Michigan’s third option after Edwards and Mullings? It will be interesting to see who emerges in fall camp and the first few weeks of the season. The favorite is the redshirt freshman Benjamin Hallwho had the fourth-most rushes among UM running backs a year ago (15 carries, 69 yards). Hall has been compared to former Michigan tailback Hassan Haskins, although the redshirt freshman is slightly smaller and heavier at 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds.

In addition to Hall, other candidates would be a redshirt junior Tavierre Dunlap (2023 stats: five carries, 21 yards), redshirt freshman and former four-star prospect Cole Cabana (twice, six yards) and freshmen Jordan Marshall (No. 78 overall player, Class of 2024). Even without Corum, Michigan brings a deep running back corps in 2024. We should get a glimpse of the future as the guys battle for the third running back spot, with this likely being Edwards and Mullings’ final year.

This article is part of a series that examines each position group on Michigan Football’s 2024 roster. You can find the other position groups that Michigan Wolverines on SI has already been discussed here: (quarterback)

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